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A Song Below Water: a review


 

Q U I C K S T A T S

 

  • Characters- ⭐⭐⭐. 5

  • Setting- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

  • Writing style-⭐⭐⭐

  • Overall rating- ⭐⭐⭐⭐



// Content Warning: Black trauma / Bullying / Colourism / Faked suicide (mentioned) / Fantasy racism / Forced hospitalization (mentioned) / Forced outing / Misogynoir / Murder / Police brutality / Racial profiling / Skin removal / Throat injury //


Publisher: Tor Teen

Age group: Young Adult

Genre(s): Fantasy

Pub date: June 2nd 2020






 

P R E M I S E

 

Tavia is already at odds with the world, forced to keep her siren identity under wraps in a society that wants to keep her kind under lock and key. Never mind she's also stuck in Portland, Oregon, a city with only a handful of black folk and even fewer of those with magical powers. At least she has her bestie Effie by her side as they tackle high school drama, family secrets, and unrequited crushes.


But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation; the girls’ favorite Internet fashion icon reveals she's also a siren, and the news rips through their community. Tensions escalate when Effie starts being haunted by demons from her past, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice during a police stop. No secret seems safe anymore—soon Portland won’t be either.


 

M Y R E V I E W

 

The story is told in dual POVs; Tavia and Effie who I originally thought were sisters sharing the same father or something until I, like an idiot, read the premise for the first time AFTER finishing the book. I'm not really sure but I think Effie was completely normal and Tavia was the siren who was forced to remain cautious around modern innovations such as the internet. All while making sure she doesn't get pulled over. Or shot. Just for being black.


While I did enjoy this book, I was a bit disappointed in the fantasy aspect. I expected more complex magic systems and at least a cool underwater siren kingdom. The least I could have gotten was my childhood Ariel-home fantasy feeling but nope. A Song Below Water focuses more on the lives of a black person, siren or not, and showed the traumatic events they undergo on a daily basis. Again, I am not qualified to speak more about this topic so if you like, you could check out the resources below to educate yourself (and others) on the BLM movement.


 

T R O P E S

 

  • Coming-of-age

  • Found family

 

R E P R E S E N T A T I O N

 

  • Black main and side characters


 

S I M I L A R B O O K S

 

  • The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

  • All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

  • Dear Martin by Nic Stone



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